Register mount



m 9 l Das. m mm Mv w.. m Nw@ 3, .y z J. E., 2 n 7 VSL m N s /ML y 1 Bmmm g www l .m 8 j 0 8 um f w 2 5 w 8 Tmd F Z T. m.. Mm wlw 9 3, u 101m@Q .1 n@ W a w f .w 266 2, d 5a J .m a 0 M 7 w m March 2, 1943. T.s'rEPHENsoN REGISTER MOUNT Filed Aug. 18, 1941 I2 Sheets-Sheet 2 wwf/70EQ 70M 5TM/mysan, 5y Mt@ Patented Mar. 2, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE REGISTER MOUNT necticut Application August 18, 1941, Serial No.407,303

2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in swivel base attachments forregister mechanisms of any of the well-known types and which ordinarilyinclude a plurality of indicia 4wheels and tens-transfer mechanism forindicating visibly the volume of fluid dispensed by a meter. Suchregister mechanisms are adapted for connection to and driven by themeters by which the volume of fluid dispensed is measured.

Ordinarily the register mechanism is rigidly connected, conveniently bybolts or cap screws, to the top of the meter. In many instances it isnecessary to install such an integrally connected meter and register insuch a position that it is impossible for an observer to read easily therecordings of the register, because of the fact that the face of theregister is at an angle or obscured by pipes or other mechanisms.

Said meters and registers are also in common use on truck bulk deliverytank wagons. The meter and register is ordinarily installed at the sideof the motor truck with the face of the register in a plane parallel tothe longitudinal axis of the motor truck. In many instances deliveriesare made in narrow driveways from such trucks, and where there is a-minimum amount of clearance between the sides of the truck and thewalls of the buildings contiguous to opposite sides of the driveway.Under such circumstances, it is difiicult, and sometimes impossible, forthe operator to observe the recording on the register because theopening of the register faces the building walls and, as stated above,the register can be read accurately -by the observer only when he is ina position in which he would be facing the register.

It is an object of my invention to provide means, convenientlyinterposed between the meter and the register, to make possible theturning of the register through an arc of 360, and thus permit the faceof the register to be presented in any direction.

Another object of my invention is the inclusion of means for preventingthe changing of the readings on the dials of the register regardless ofeither the direction of such a turning of the register or the number ofdegrees of the arc through which the register is turned.

My invention is adaptable for use not only in connection with recordingregisters alone mounted on meters, but also is particularly adapted foruse where a combined register and printing mechanism, for example suchas shown in McMullen Letters Patent No. 2,086,363, is connected to themeter and by which both the registering mechanism and the ticketprinting mechanism are driven.

My invention includes the various novel features of construction andarrangement hereinafter more definitely specied.

Fig. I is a side elevation, partly in section, of the swivel basemechanism interposed between the register and the top of the meter, crmeter adaptor.

Fig. II is a plan view of the swivel base mechanism, with the registerremoved therefrom.

Fig. III is an artificial sectional View of the gear train of the swivelbase mechanism showing the gear train extended to more clearly indicatethe relationship of the various gears.

Referring to said drawings; the top of the meter l, or meter adaptor, isconveniently provided with the reduced offset portion 2 for engagementwith the flange 3 formed at the bottom of the base 4. which houses theswivel mechanism. Said base 4 is provided at its `bottom end with theweb 6 having a series of openings 1 therethrough. Said web 6 is providedwith the central opening 8 into which is press-fitted the bushing 9having the enlarged upper flange l0. The upper end of the meter shaft i2carries the coupling member I3. conveniently rigidly fastened thereto bymeans of the pin I4. The upper end of said coupiing l2 is provided withdiametrically opposite slots I3 for engagement in driving relation withthe driving pin I 'l rigidly fastened to the shaft l which is journaledin said bushing 9.

Said shaft I9 has rigidly fastened thereto at its upper end,conveniently by the pin 20, the pinion gear 2 I. Said pinion gear 2l isprovided with the hub 22 which is loosely fitted in the annular recess23 formed in the upper end of said bushing 9.

The bevel ring gear 25 is mounted on the web 5 of the base member 4 inaxial relation therewith, and said bevel ring gear 25 is rigidlyiastened to said web by means of the series of phi rivets 26 extendingthrough said web and the annular iiange 28 of said bevel ring gear.

Said ring gear 25 is provided with the annular recessed portion 3D andin which there is tted. with freedom of turning movement, the gear plateor disk 32. Said gear plate S2 has the axial opening 33 formed thereinso that said gear plate 52 is free to rotate about the flange if! of thebushing 9.

Said gear plate 32 is provided with the hole into which is fitted andriveted the reduced portion 4B of the stud shaft 2 so that said shaft 12is integrally connected to said gear plate 32. Said stud shaft 42 hasjournaled thereon the planetary pinion gear 43, the lower portion ofwhich gear and said gear 50 meshes with said gear 43. Said` gear 5! isprevented from axial displacement by means of the enlarged head 5|formed at the upper end of said stud shaft 48.

The upper end of the planetary gear 5D is engaged by the pinion gear 52,of the same pitch diameter as the planetary gears 50 and 431 Said piniongear 52 is rigidly mounted on the register. drive shaft 54 by means ofthe pin 55 which extends through said shaft 54 and lthe hub 56 of thepinion gear 52.

Said gear hub 56 is iournaled in the bearing sleeve 60, which sleeve ispress-fitted into integral relation with the axial opening 6| formed inthe hub 52 of the register bottom closure plate 65. Said closure plateis rigidly mounted in the annular offset recess 66 formed in the base 10of the register 1|. Said closure plate 65 is conveniently connected tosaid register base 10 by a series of screws 12, two of which are shownin Fig. I.

The bevel ring gear 14 is mounted on the register bottom closure plate65 in axial relation therewith, and said bevel ring gear 14 is rigidlyfastened to said plate 65 by means of a series of pin rivets 15extending through said plate and the annular flange 1S of said bevelring gear 14.

Said gear plate 32 has rigidly mounted thereon the gear mount 18 whichis conveniently fastened to said plate 32 by means of rivet pins 19, oneof which is shown in Fig, III. The stud shaft 89 is provided with thereduced portion 8| which extends through the hole 82 formed in the gearblock 18, and said stud shaft is maintained in rigid relationship withsaid block 18 by riveting over the end of the reduced portion 8|. Saidstud shaft 80 has journaled thereon the bevel pinion gear 83, which gearis prevented from axial displacement by means of the enlarged head 84formed at the outer end of the stud shaft 8). Said bevel pinion 83meshes between the upper bevel ring gear 14 and the lower bevel ringgear 25. When the register 1| is in a stationary position, said bevelpinion83 prevents from turning the gear plate 32 and the gears 43 and 55mounted thereon. Said bevel ring gears 25 and 14, and the pinion 83, donot rotate when the register remains stationary.

The register 1| is mounted on the register base 1f! and includes themiddle section 90 and top closure 9|. Said middle section 9|)Y isprovided at the front thereof with a glass-enclosed opening 92 to permitvisibility of the series of register indicia wheels 93, one of which isindicated in Fig. I. Said registering mechanism is of the well-knowntype and includes the gear $34 rigidly mounted at the opposite end ofthe shaft 54. Said gear 94 is in driving connection with the gear 95mounted on the lower end of the shaft 96 which is journaled in a bossformed on the bottom closure of the mechanism, Said shaft 96 carries,intermediate of its length, the helical gear 98 which is fastened to theshaft 36, conveniently by means of the pin 99 in the hub S8' of saidgear 98. Said helical gear 98 is in engagement with the gear ||i|fastened to the shaft |2, the axis of which is at right angles to theaxis of the shaft 35. Said shaft m2 may be conveniently journaled in theside wall members of the registering mechanism.

Said shaft |02 carries the gear i which is in engagement with the idlergear H36 mounted for freedom of turning movement on the shaft HV! whichis conventionally shown in dotted lines in said Fig. I. Said gear |36 isin engagement with the gear |09 carried by the indicia wheel of lowestorder, which is the indicia wheel indicated in Fig. I. The shaft |62 isprovided with a clutch of any of the well-known types so as to permitdisengagement of the driving connection between the gear I| and the gear|05 during the resetting operation of the counter mechanism by means ofthe crank handle l0 indicated in Fig. I. The counter mechanismdiagrammatically indicated is of the well-known conventional type andincluding tens-transfer pinions Hl,

Said register base 1l] is provided with two bracket members ||3 and ||4which are respectively conveniently fastened to said register base 1U bymeans of the cap screws i5 and l5. Said bracket I3 is provided with thefemale threaded opening I8 for engagement with the male screw thread ||9formed on the reduced portion |25 of the handle |2I. Said bracket memberH4 is provided with the female screw threaded opening |23 for engagementwith the male screw thread |24 formed on the reduced portion |25 of thehandle |26. Said handles |2| and |25 are provided as convenient meansfor effecting rotating movement of the register 1|.

Operation When it is desired to rotate the register 1| so as to presentthe window 92 in a position in which it would be more convenient for theoperator to observe the readings on the indicia wheels of the register,turning movement of the register may be effected by the operator turningthe register by means of either or both of the handles |2| and |26.

Merely for purposes of clarity, it will be assumed that in the followingdescription of operation the register is turned one complete turnclockwise on its axis from the position shown in Fig. II. A turning ofthe register clockwise one complete revolution also causes the bevelring gear 14 to likewise turn one complete revolution clockwise becauseof the fact that said bevel ring gear 14 is fastened by means of the pin15 to the bottom closure plate 65 which is integrally connected with theregister base 'l' by means of the series of screws 12. Clockwise turningmovement of the bevel ring gear 14 causes the bevel pinion gear 83 toroll around on the teeth of the bevel ring gear 25. As the bevel gear 83is mounted on the stud B carried Y by the gear mount 18 rigidlyconnected to the gear plate, or disk, 32, rotation of the bevel gear 83will cause the gear plate 32 to rotate on its axis through one-halfrevolution, or Said gear plate 32, in rotating one-half revolutionaround the flange Il) of the bushing 9, will carry with it the planetarypinions 43 and 5i) journalled on their respective stud shafts 42 and 43which are rigidly mounted in said gear plate 32. Said pinion 43, rollingaround the pinion 2|, which remained stationary, will have made one fullturn, with respect to the pinion 2|, as the plate 32 is rotated on itsaxis one-half turn, or 180. The

pinion 50, in mesh with said pinion 43, will not have made any rotationwith respect to the pinion 2l, although the relative positions of saidpinions 50 and 2l have been changed. The movement of the axis of saidpinion 5D around the pinion gear 52 for 180 in a clockwise directionbecause of the movement of said gear plate 32 through an arc of 180,causes the pinion 52 to rotate one complete revolution in a clockwisedirection also.

Therefore, since both the bevel ring gear 713 and the pinion gear 52will have each made one turn in a clockwise direction, there Would be norelative motion between said two gears 52 and 14 and, hence, there wouldbe eiected no change in the indicating wheels 93 of the register.

If the drive pinion 2| should also be turningl at the same time a manualrotation of the register is being effected, only such displacement ofthe pinion 2l will be imposed upon the pinion 52, relative to the bevelring gear 14. Therefore, there is transmitted to the gearing of theregister only such movement between the gears 52 and 2| as would beeffected if the registerwas remaining in a stationary position. It alsois obvious that rotation of the register 'H on its swivel base may beeiected in either direction without effecting the registration on theindicia wheels of the register.

Therefore, I do not desire to limit myself t0 the precise details ofconstruction and arrangement herein set forth, as it is obvious thatvarious modications may be made therein without departing from theessential features of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In swivel mechanism for register mechanisms which include a driveshaft connected by a train of gearing to a plurality of indicia wheelsand tens-transfer mechanism; the combination of a swivel base member;with register mechanism having a base member adapted to be supported byand rotate on said swivel base; a drive gear for said registermechanism; a driver gear mounted on a drive shaft rotated by uid passedby a meter; a gear plate rotatable about the axis of said meter drivergear; planetary gearing means mounted on and carried by said platerotatable about the axis of said meter driver gear, connecting saidmeter driver gear with said register mechanism drive gear; a iirst ringgear rigidly mounted on and carried by said register base; a second ringgear mounted on said swivel base member; and gearing means, carried bysaid gear plate, connecting said first ring gear and said second ringgear; whereby said register mechanism, with its base member, may berotated on its axis without effecting change of the readings o-n saidindicia wheels of said register.

2. A structure as in claim 1, wherein said gear plate is supported bysaid second ring gear and in axial alinement therewith.

TOM STEPHEN SON.

